Apparatus for making continuous sliver of rayon staple fibers



Oct 21, 1941. K.- JEHLE ETAL 2,259,697

APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONTINUOUS SLIVER OF RAYON STAPLE FIBERS FiledSept. 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l O OO O O O 000 O 7 4 In venforsIfurfJeh/e Karl Schmauder Oct. 21, 1941. K. JEHLE ET ALI APPARATUS FORMAKING CONTINUOUS SLIVER OF RAYON STAPLE FIBERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledSept. 3, 1938 17 Inventors Kurt Jehle Their Afforneys 5 By KarlSchmauder I Patented Oct. 21, 1941 APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONTINUOUSSLIVER 0F RAYON STAPLE FIBERS Kurt Jehle, DessauIand Karl Schmauder,Bitterfeld, Germany, asslgnors, by mesne assignments, to Walther H.Duisberg, New York, N. Y.

Application September 3, 1938, Serial No. 228,266 In Great BritainOctober 20, 1937 8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a device for cutting continuous bundlesof artificial filaments without disarranglng the substantially parallelposition of the artificial fibers within the bundles.

Processes and apparatus for making slivers of rayon staple fiber fromcontinuous artificial filaments have already been proposed; according tothese proposals the bundles of continuous filaments were to beintermittently out, either at right angles or obliquely or in stepwisesuccession so that by' joining, folding, doubling and drawing they areunited to form a sliver.

The object of the present invention resides in the provision of animproved" apparatus with which the cutting of continuous bundles offilaments is possible in an uninterrupted progressive out. either atright angles or obliquely through the surface of the bundle.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision in anapparatus of a character described of a device capable of removing thesections of the'fiber tuft which pass through the more readily apparentfrom the following detailed specification.

Referenceis made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is adiagrammatic cross sectional view of an apparatus according to theinvention whereas Fig. 1a is a schematic elevation showing in greaterdetail the operation of a clamping device in said apparatus. I

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in cross section inFigure 1,

Fig. 2a is a diagrammatic plan view similar in part to that of Fig. 2and intended to illustrate further the operation of the clamping deviceshown in detail in Fig. 1a.

Figure 3 shows another possible modification of the apparatus showing aslightly different device for advancing the bundlesof continuousfilaments towards the cutting machine while Figure 4 shows a specialarrangement of a continuous sliver without substantially altering .thedirection and alignment of the individual of lap-rods 2, 2a, on whichare spooled endless bundles of filaments 3, 3a. These bundles or handsare withdrawn over suitable guides through perforations IS in an upperdisc 4 into the space between the said upper disc and the lower disc 6,both of which rotate on the shaft l;;-as they are drawn between thediscs the bands are continuously spread outwards over the -margin of thebroader lower disc. 0n the periphery of the upper smaller disc 4 aremounted clamping devices 5, 5a, which act similarly to tent ering clipson fabric drying machines, in that they firmly press the bands of fiberonto the surface of the lower disc at certain places. Both discs rotatein the same direction and at the same speed, as the frame carrying thelap-rods 2, 2a rotates on the shaft I; I

h The a paratus may be so arranged that the I continuous fibers aredrawn over the edge of the 20.

lower disc either at one or at several places, for example by pairs ofdraft rollers 13 (Figure 2) which are adapted to rotate on their axes atadjustable speeds. A stationary cam rail 30 as shown in Figs. 1a and 2a,fi-Xedlymounted so as not to rotate with disks 4 and vIi may forinstance determine the subsequent closing of the, clamping devices 5whereby the tufts of filaments drawn out by the draft rollers are heldin a predetermined position. 0n the further rotation of the discs 4 and6 the tufts of fibers are engaged and stretched by a. rapidly movingdraft device 8, 9,

l0 which may consist of a pair of leather bands 8 and II or a set offfallers and a leather band ,or two sets of fallers.

The pressure of the draft device is so adjusted that theclut fibers aredrawn away, while those which are not .cut slide and are held back. Thefilaments of the bundles are suecessively cut by a rotating disc knife1, Figure 2, or by a band knife l6, Figures 3 and-4. The knives, whichmay be arranged at one or more positions about the periphery of thediscs 4 and B with their accompanying draft devices, may

.have their cutting edge at right angles or device for removing thetufts in the form of a obliquely to the axis of the bundle of continuousfilaments.

Oscillating knives may be used with advantage. According to the speed ofrotation on the shaft I and of the draft device l3, the staple length l4of the cut fibers projecting over the edge of the lower disc 6 may bevaried; the cut fibers are removed without changing their substantiallyparallel position.

- Cam rail 30, by reason of its shape as shown in Fig; 2a, acts upon thearms of clamping devices 5 as they come in contact with. the cam rail inthe course of their rotation with disks 4 and Gabout shaft I. If, whenviewing the apparatus from above, the disks and the clamping devicesrotate in clockwise direction, the latter will, at a predeterminedpoint, come in contact with cam rail 30 and, in sliding along said railbe brought to the upright and closed position shown at the right of Fig.1a. This position is maintained for a likewise predetermined distance byan extension of the cam rail. At a point reached after completion of thecutting operation, the clamping devices 5 are opened again by the actionof cam rail 30 shaped so as to act upon the upper portion of the clampsso that they will assume the open and inclined position shown at theleft of Fig. 1a.

The coherent sliver of fibers withdrawn by the device 8l2 may bedelivered to a cross winder or into a can. However, the cutting deviceaccording to this invention may also be combined with a machine forfurther operations.

When theHdraWing, clamping, cutting and removing devices are arranged atseveral positions around the discs, for example four times, the

slivers formed individually at these places may be combined at oneplace, doubled, drawn, and united to form a single sliver.

Another modification is shown in Figs. 3 and 5. In this instance disks 4and 6 areequal in diameter. 'I'he clamping devices used in themodification, illustrated in Figs. 1, 1a, 2 and 2a,

-momentarily to clamp the filaments, are replaced rollers 22 and betweenbelts 23 and 24 whereupon a set of rollers 25 lead them either to a canor, to a. cross winder. The modification illustrated in Fig. 4, used fortaking care of the slivers after they are cut, consists in a drum 29 theaxis of which is parallel to the axis of the disks. The drum is filletedlike the main drum of a card. The sliver formed thereon may be removedby means of withdrawing rollers or the like."-

We claim? 1. A device of the character described comprising incombination, a number of lap-rods rotatably mounted on a frame,bundlesof continuous filaments on said lap-rodsja rotatable axlecarrying said frame, two discs mounted on said axle, the upper disccomprising a series of perforations adapted to permit said bundles of"said lower disc, means for cutting said tuft of fibers, and means forremoving the cut tufts of fibers in the form of a continuoussliverwithout disturbing the parallel arrangement of the indipressedtogether, For the purpose of making this length of gripping pathadjustable, one of the pressing member 25 or 21, preferably 26, as.shown in Fig.6, can b made adjustable in length.

Due to the tangentiaharrangeinent of chains 18 and Ila with respect todisks 4 and 6, the chains grasp the fibers'and withdraw them from saiddisks. The length of the fibers withdrawn depends, of course, upon theextent of the gripping action by chains l8 and "a. Thus, for' example,thegreater the distance the two chains are pressed together, the longerwill be the tufts of fibers withdrawn. Instead of using a disk knife, asin the modification illustrated in Figs. 1' to 2a, it is preferable toemploy a band knife ii. The moving band knife I6, shown in Fig. 3 forexample, travels around the entire device. If it is desired not toencircle the disk completely with a moving band knife, it may be doubledback uponitself, as shown in Fig. 4. It is preferable to give a slightangle to the moving band knife, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to preventpremature cutting of the fiber tufts. It is, of course, also possible toarrange the moving band knife vertically with respect to the rotatingdisks so that it will have precisely the same action as a rotating diskknife.

Figs. 3 and 5, on the one hand, and Fig, 4, on the other, show twofurther modifications by means of which the cut fibers can be withdrawnfrom the device. The arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 5 shows thatslivers b are gripped between belts l9 and 2| mounted on rollers 20. Forthe purpose of illustration, belt I8 and the rollers over which it istransported are not shown in Fig. 3. The slivers then pass through a setof vidual fibers.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for cuttingconsists of rotating disc cutters.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for cuttingconsists of running band cutters. I 4. A device as defined in claim 1wherein said means for continuously withdrawing a" tuft of fibers fromthe bundles on said disc comprises a pair of drawing. rollers arrangedclose to the periphery of said lower disc.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means forcontinuouslywithdrawing a tuftof fibers from the bundles on said disccomprises a pair of open linked chains.

6. A device as defined in claim 1 whereinrsaid means forconti'nuously'removing the sliver" comprises leather belts, the tensionof said leather belts being so adjusted as to transport away the cutfibers while letting the uncut fibers slide I through.

'7. A device as defined in'claim 1 wherein more than one withdrawingmeans and more than one cutting means are arranged tangentially aroundsaid discs.

8. A device of the character described com-' prising in combination, anumber of lap-rods rotatably mounted on a frame, bundles of continuousfilaments on said lap-rods, a rotatable axle carrying said frame, twodiscs mounted on said axle, the upper disc comprising a series ofperforations adapted to permit said bundles of continuous filaments tobe withdrawn there-'' through, means for continuously withdrawing a

